Comparison

Pokémon GO vs Dex Scanner

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Pokémon GO

Explore your real world to discover and catch creatures. Train your companions, battle in gyms, and team up with others for epic raids. Your adventure begins as you move through your environment.

Highlights
  • Explore and discover creatures
  • Catch creatures to complete Pokédex
  • Journey with Buddy Pokémon
  • Compete in Gym battles
  • Team up for Raid Battles
  • Augmented reality gameplay
Read full description

Join Trainers across the globe who are discovering Pokémon as they explore the world around them. Pokémon GO is the global gaming sensation that has been downloaded over 1 billion times and named “Best Mobile Game” by the Game Developers Choice Awards and “Best App of the Year” by TechCrunch. _______________ UNCOVER THE WORLD OF POKÉMON: Explore and discover Pokémon wherever you are! CATCH more Pokémon to complete your Pokédex! JOURNEY alongside your Buddy Pokémon to help make your Pokémon stronger and earn rewards! COMPETE in epic Gym battles and... TEAM UP and UNITE with other Trainers to catch powerful Pokémon during Raid Battles! It’s time to get moving—your real-life adventures await! Let’s GO! _______________ With the player’s permission, Adventure Sync uses the Health app to enable the player to earn walking distance when the app is closed. Notes: - This app is free-to-play and offers in-game purchases. It is optimized for smartphones, not tablets. - It is recommended to play while connected to a network in order to obtain accurate location information. - Compatibility is not guaranteed for devices without GPS capabilities or devices that are connected only to Wi-Fi networks. - Compatibility information may be changed at any time. - Information current as of July 11, 2019. - Compatible with iPhone® 5s / SE / 6 / 6s / 6 Plus / 6s Plus / 7 / 7 Plus / 8 / 8 Plus / X devices with iOS Version 9 or later installed. - Not compatible with 5th generation iPod Touch devices or iPhone 5c or earlier iPhone devices. - Please visit PokemonGO.com for additional compatibility information. - Compatibility is not guaranteed for all devices. - Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically reduce battery life.

About

Dex Scanner

This unofficial application provides information related to Pokémon. It utilizes copyrighted images under fair use principles for informational purposes. The app is free to download and use.

Highlights
  • Pokémon information
  • Unofficial app
  • Fair use of images
  • Free to download
Features
Read full description

This app is an unofficial app and is NOT affiliated, endorsed or supported by Nintendo, GAME FREAK or The Pokémon company in any way. Some images used in this app are copyrighted and are supported under fair use. Some images used in this app are copyrighted and belong to Nintendo, GAME FREAK or The Pokémon Company. They are used in this app in accordance with the laws of Fair Use, for the United States of America, or of the intellectual property code, for France. Pokémon and Pokémon character names are trademarks of Nintendo. No copyright infringement intended. Pokémon © 2002-2018 Pokémon. © 1995-2018 Nintendo/Creatures Inc./ GAME FREAK inc. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/ internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Pokémon GO4 screens
Dex Scanner4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Pokémon GO at 44% against Dex Scanner's 0%. Pokémon GO also leads on rating (4.0 vs 1.0) and ratings volume (653K vs 1). Dex Scanner's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 30) and ads (none vs shown). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Pokémon GO sells 21 one-off in-app purchases. Dex Scanner asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pokémon GO holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pokémon GO has 653K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 44% of Pokémon GO's written reviews are positive against 0% of Dex Scanner's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pokémon GO ships an update every 6 days, Dex Scanner every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and June 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Pokémon GO versus Dex Scanner: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPokémon GODex Scanner
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (653K ratings) — better1.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews43.8% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings653K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 6 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#1 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.014.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size404 MB18 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperScopely Explore, Inc.Azikus d.o.o

Customer experience

Pokémon GO

All ratings653,270 ratings
Positive73.8%
Neutral5.6%
Negative20.6%
Written reviews8,042 reviews
Positive43.8%
Neutral9.9%
Negative46.3%

Dex Scanner

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Bugs and requests

Pokémon GO

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • GPS/location issues causing gameplay problems
  • Bugs with egg hatching and buddy Pokémon
  • Inconsistent performance across devices
  • Glitches with raid battles and rewards

Requested features

5 requests
  • In-game chat/communication system
  • Ability to trade items between players
  • More customization options for avatars
  • Improved tracking and spawn system
  • Easier access to rare/legendary Pokémon

Dex Scanner

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

21 purchases

Pokémon GO

One-time21
  • 100 PokéCoins$0.99
  • Event Bonus$0.99
  • Small Box$1.99
Show 18 more
  • Evergreen Ticket 1$1.99
  • Event Ticket3 variants$1.99
  • Event Ticket5 variants$4.99
  • 550 PokéCoins$4.99
  • Ticket$4.99
  • Event Ticket$7.99
  • 1,200 PokéCoins$9.99
  • Event Pass Deluxe Plus Points$9.99
  • Finale Pass$14.99
  • Event Pass Deluxe$14.99
  • GO Fest Ticket$14.99
  • Finale Pass Plus Points$19.99
  • GO Pass Deluxe$19.99
  • 2,500 PokéCoins$19.99
  • Event Pass Deluxe Plus Points$19.99
  • GO Pass Deluxe Plus Points$24.99
  • 5,200 PokéCoins$39.99
  • 14,500 PokéCoins$99.99
None

Dex Scanner

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pokémon GO free?
Pokémon GO is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Dex Scanner free?
Dex Scanner is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Pokémon GO or Dex Scanner?
Pokémon GO is rated higher. Pokémon GO averages 4.0 out of 5 from 653K ratings, while Dex Scanner averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Pokémon GO or Dex Scanner have ads?
Pokémon GO shows ads; Dex Scanner does not.
Which is updated more often, Pokémon GO or Dex Scanner?
Pokémon GO ships an update every 6 days, and Dex Scanner every 2 days. Most recently, Pokémon GO was updated on September 25, 2026 and Dex Scanner on June 3, 2026.

Other comparisons